African America Heritage Month launched

Accra, Feb 1, GNA - Activities for the celebration of African American Heritage Month was on Tuesday launched with a call for black history to be taught as a subject in schools across the world. Professor George Payin Hagan, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture, who made the call, said: "The study of Black History should not be left for blacks alone because it is the core to the history of mankind."

He said the study of Black History should feature in the history of human cultures and civilizations, knowledge and philosophy, mathematics, science and medicine.

Prof Hagan asked Black History scholars affiliated to the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre to generate the educational material for the study of Black History in schools both in Ghana and the America.

He said the Ministry of Education also had the responsibility of ensuring that such materials reached the schools, saying that it was necessary for the youth both here and abroad to learn about the history of their forefathers in order to avoid their bad judgements and build a better future for humanity.

Prof Hagan noted that "from whatever perspective history is written, there must be a Black perspective to it and this demands that the historical discourse must engage Africans and African scholars themselves".

Mrs Mary Carlin Yates, US Ambassador to Ghana, said this year's African American Heritage Month also marked the Centenary celebration of the Niagara Movement founded by Du Bois in 1905 as the first black protest group.

She said: "This year's celebration in the United States pays homage to Dr Du Bois under the theme: "The Niagara Movement: Black Protest reborn."

Mrs Yates expressed the hope that this year's celebration would lead more Ghanaians to appreciate the strong bonds between Ghana and the United States.

Activities planned for the celebration of the month include musical concerts, children's days, Pan-African literary evenings, film shows on Blacks in the military and the Du Bois - Padmore - Amu Awards ceremony.